


Passing Notes

by Mochas N Mayhem (KoohiiCafe)



Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: By their power combined, Eggsy is a Little Shit, Harry is a Little Shit, M/M, Merlin is so done with them both, they are the Biggest Little Shit Ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-31
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:48:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6411301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KoohiiCafe/pseuds/Mochas%20N%20Mayhem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time he steals Merlin's clipboard, it’s because Charlie dares him, and like fuck he’s going to let that dickhead think he’s a coward. Roxy tries to talk him down, tells him he’s being an idiot, but he doesn’t let her talk him out of it or try to stop him. Eggsy's not the type to back down from a dare.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This little piece of I-don't-even-know-what-it-is came out of [my post on tumblr here](http://makethwoman.tumblr.com/post/141824725412/you-know-when-eggsy-grabs-merlins-clipboard-he), plus the _glorious_ tags made by [aggressivelybisexualeggsy](http://aggressivelybisexualeggsy.tumblr.com/) [here](http://aggressivelybisexualeggsy.tumblr.com/post/141852349992/makethwoman-you-know-when-eggsy-grabs-merlins).

The first time he does it, it’s because Charlie dares him, and like fuck he’s going to let that dickhead think he’s a coward. Roxy tries to talk him down, tells him he’s being an idiot, and if her glares were laser powered, with the way she’s glaring at Charlie, the dick squad, _and_ him, they’d all be dead. He does it anyway, doesn’t let her talk him out of it or try to stop him, cause he’s made up his mind and there ain’t nothing that can stop him now.

Except maybe the super spy surveillance Merlin has set up pretty much _everywhere_. Thankfully though, Eggsy’s spent a ton of time mapping out every camera he could find in the complex, and it ain’t for nothing that he has. The route he takes to his target from the recruit quarters is complex, long, and is the closest to circumventing the surveillance that he could hope for. He can’t avoid _all_ the cameras, of course, but he finds ways to get by the ones that still dot his path without being seen; he times his crossing to let him hide within a group of techs in one hallway, in a group of mechanics in another, he nicks a tailored jacket and pair of glasses from an empty office to get past some others… He’s resourceful. Finally, though, he’s reached his destination, pretty sure he hasn’t been caught yet, and all there is left is to pick the lock on the door.

The other toff idiots probably couldn’t do it, it ain’t something Merlin’s started training them on yet, but Eggsy’s lived on the wrong side of London his whole life, and more than half of that he’s spent with Dean; he picked up lock picking a long time ago. And yeah, sure, it’s a complicated lock, and he has to be extra careful because fuck knows how many alarms Merlin’s got on the door, and he has to be fast enough that no one rounds the corner of the hallway and catches him at it- but he manages. Soon enough he hears the telltale _schnick_ of the lock giving way and, with a huge grin, Eggsy slips inside and shuts the door behind him.

 _There_. In the middle of the desk, a couple mugs scattered around it, right next to the keyboard- Merlin’s clipboard.

Well. ‘ _Clipboard_.’ It might _look_ like a normal clipboard, laying there innocently with a couple sheets of paper clipped to it with a pen, but Eggsy knows better. He’s seen the thing in action, when Merlin activates it and suddenly the surface of it- paper or no paper- comes alive with a complicated tablet screen that the trainer can use to do pretty much whatever he wants to with nearby Kingsman tech. And it’s that clipboard that’s his target.

Eggsy’s quick about darting forward and grabbing it, tucking it beneath his stolen jacket, then turning and heading right back out the office door, locking it behind him and making sure to wipe away any prints he might’ve left on the door handle.

The same tricks that got him to the office get him back to the dorms, where the other recruits are waiting, and it’s with a grin that he saunters in and holds up his prize.

Charlie swears violently, tries to glare a hole right through him, and Eggsy just smirks. Reminds him of the stakes of the bet, that now Charlie has to be his servant for the next week of training, then swaggers over to his bed where Roxy’s waiting. Roxy swats him upside the back of his head, huffs and rolls her eyes when he promises to make Charlie treat her like a queen, then settles back down onto her own bed to work on some of the ‘homework’ they’d been given.

When Charlie and his little followers head out to the gym for a training session, Eggsy oh so carefully plants the clipboard, the stolen jacket, and the stolen glasses in Charlie’s running pack, hiding them expertly so they won’t be seen at just a casual look, not unless someone’s actually searching for them.

The next morning before their run, Merlin- sans clipboard- lines the recruits up in front of the track. The look he pins on them has several of them squirming where they stand at attention; when Eggsy sneaks a look down the line though, where Charlie stands a few recruits away, the bastard’s smirking instead of quaking.

 _Shit_.

There’s a long death glare sweeping over them all, a short speech about the integrity Merlin expects from his trainees, and then, sure enough;

“ _Eggsy_. Step forward.”

There ain’t nothing for it, is there? Nothing except playing it out as best he can, given that the rat bastard’s apparently ratted him out. Eggsy steps forward out of the line, keeping his posture straight, cause Merlin hasn’t given permission to stand down. He isn’t cowed though, gives off just as much an aura of confidence as he had last night walking into the dorm.

“Yes sir?”

“I believe you have something that belongs to me.” Merlin’s voice is sharp, his eyebrows arched as he stares at Eggsy. Eggsy meets his gaze head on, more than a little bit of a challenge in his own eyes.

“Sorry sir, but that’s not true. I don’t have anything ‘cept my pack, and it’s got my gear in it.”

It’s even the truth. Because he _doesn’t_ have anything but his gear in his pack. He might’ve had the clipboard last _night_ , but he’s clean today.

“Empty your pack,” Merlin orders. Eggsy shrugs and shifts to take his pack off, laying it at his feet. At his side, JB leans to sniff at it, but doesn’t actually move once Eggsy gives him a firm glare. Instead he only pants, his tongue lolling out of his mouth, as Eggsy opens the pack and starts laying everything out.

“Just as I said, sir.” He grins up at the trainer once he’s done, all his gear set out precisely on the grass. “Nothin’ but my gear.”

Something flashes through the trainer’s eyes, something that _almost_ looks like amusement, then it’s gone and… he had to imagine that, right? Yeah, cause then Merlin’s glaring down the line again, ordering the rest of them to empty their packs as well.

A minute later, Charlie’s sputtering when he finds the clipboard, jacket, and glasses. Eggsy doesn’t even try to suppress his grin, not caring that it probably gives him away, not when it’s so great to see the realization that he’s been framed scroll across Charlie’s face.

Charlie’s shouting then, and Digby and Rufus are backing him up, and then Merlin orders everyone but Charlie and Eggsy to pack of their gear and get to running- double laps, thanks to Eggsy and Charlie. Eggsy just grins at the dirty looks they all shoot at him, and then turns back to attention and back to Merlin. He doesn’t care in the least when Merlin assigns them both four times the laps, because it’s fucking _worth it_. Especially when the Scot chews Charlie out for grassing up a teammate _and_ for not keeping track of his own pack, then sends him running before turning to Eggsy and saying;

“You need to work on yer technique; the cameras caught you twice on yer way to my office, and once on the way out. Now get.”

And then dismisses him and walks away. Oh _fuck_ yes.

 

* * *

 

The second time he does it, Charlie doesn’t have shit to do with it. Eggsy’s been working hard on his skills since the last time, since Merlin told him he’d been caught by the cameras, and he’s finally ready to try again. Probably. Nah, he’s ready. No one’s gonna catch him _this_ time.

Least that’s the plan.

Roxy yells at him when she finds out what he’s planning, tells him he’s an idiot, calls him crazy. Eggsy just grins and winks at her, tells her the same thing he’ll tell Merlin if he gets caught; he’s just practicing his spy skills. It’s kind of true. Mostly. Just really, Merlin all but _dared_ him to try again, the way he ‘reprimanded’ him, and he’s not the type to back down from a dare. Eventually, once she realizes he’s not going to give up, she grudgingly agrees to help him- but only because she doesn’t want to see him get kicked out, she warns him, and if he gets caught, he’s on his own.

They plan and plot after that. Well, _Eggsy_ plans and plots; Roxy mostly just points every single flaw in his plans and reminds him he’s crazy and going to get caught. He doesn’t mind though, cause she’s still helping. Better to have someone shoot holes in his plans _before_ he goes and gets himself caught doing something stupid. And, eventually, she runs out of flaws to find, and that’s when he knows he’s ready.

He puts his plan into motion. This time he’s not going to rely on disguises and distractions to get by the cameras; Merlin started them on surveillance technology a couple weeks ago, and specifically over the last week, on ways to jam it if your handler was out of contact, or unable to do it themselves. It’s to that end that Eggsy’s rigged up a little device that, once turned on, will temporarily shut down any cameras within a ten foot radius. It’s a one time use device, and it’ll only last for maybe ten, fifteen minutes if he’s lucky, so he has to be quick.

Eggsy is nothing if not fast. He abandons the long route from before, taking one that’s shorter with a few more cameras than the last, activating his jammer as soon as he gets almost within range of the first one- then he’s off like a jet. He wastes no time in hurtling down the halls, brushing past technicians, researchers, scientists, even one of the knights, without even stopping. It’s not like it’s the first time any of them have seen recruits running the halls, Merlin’s put them through a few drills and training scenarios inside the manor before.

Picking the lock on Merlin’s door once he reaches it is easier this time. Not a breeze, of course, but it doesn’t take as long now that he’s done it once before. He’s inside within less than a couple minutes, darting to the desk where his quarry lies once more. Clipboard in hand, he’s back out the door and locking it within seconds, darting back down the halls along a second, slightly shorter, route.

This route leads to one of the huge libraries in the manor. It’s here that he finds a back corner to hole up in for just a little while, tucked nicely in the empty space between a couple stacks. He’s curious enough to activate the clipboard’s touch screen this time, wanting to poke around at it and-

And the instant he touches it to turn it on, the things beeps- _loudly_. And it doesn’t stop. And as the screen turns on, the Kingsman version of a notepad program pops up, a block of text blinking at him. Eggsy squints, risks the continued beeping to read it.

‘ _Eggsy,_

_You didn’t think it would be so easy a second time, did you? If you’re reading this, a tracking program has been activated and I’ll be on my way to retrieve my property. If I find it in your possession, I can guarantee you’ll not enjoy the consequences._

_Consider this a lesson in touching sticky fingers to things that don’t belong to you._ ’

Shit.

The beeping is getting louder, and Merlin’s probably already on his way like his message says. And- there’s something hidden in that message too, beneath the surface. He doesn’t have time to figure it out now, though. Unable to resist, Eggsy takes long enough to type his own message in reply instead, then he’s off like a flash, leaving the clipboard sitting innocently on a table in the back of the library.

It’s long after he’s made it back to the recruit dorm to find Roxy, after the two of them have buggered quickly off to one of the outdoor training grounds for some privacy, after he’s started going on to her about the note Merlin’d left, that it hits him.

‘ _Sticky fingers_.’

The alert had activated the moment Eggsy had touched the screen with the pad of one finger. Merlin’d set his clipboard to recognize Eggsy’s fingerprints.

Something to remember next time. He says as much to Roxy, smirking and ducking the swat she aims at him for planning a ‘next time,’ and tells her he wishes he could be there when Merlin reads the message he left behind. When she asks what the message is, he tells her.

‘ _ur clipboard ain’t the only thing my sticky fingers wanna touch. try me sometime, if u got the nerve. i can guarantee u won’t regret it._ ’

Roxy chokes. This time he’s laughing too hard to dodge when she punches his arm _hard_.

 

* * *

 

The third time, he manages to get around the fingerprint issue by wearing gloves. He still gets busted later, when Merlin calls him out for being spotted by too many bystanders during his run to and from the office, and he assigns Eggsy as the target for their next search and capture exercise. It sucks, because Charlie and his goons are gleeful and vicious about it, and he ends up with more than a few nasty bruises from their manhandling when they catch him, but bruises he can handle. Bruises ain’t anything new for Eggsy.

What _is_ new is the way Merlin resolutely refuses to look at Eggsy’s mouth for almost a week after he gets his clipboard back. Eggsy counts it as a definite win, with the note he’d left Merlin this time.

‘ _if u think i need hands to pull something off, u got another think coming guv. i coulda pulled you off with just my mouth if i needed to. could show u sometime if u want, u just gotta ask._

 _oh sorry, i meant coulda pulled IT off, not you off. tho i can do that too ;D_ ’

 

* * *

 

The fourth time it’s the lock on Merlin’s office door that gets him, the trainer having apparently upped the security on it since his last trip. He sets off an alarm without realizing it, and lingers a moment too long in the office itself typing out his next note. Merlin catches him before he even gets back out the door, and assigns him floor scrubbing duty in the dorm for the next _month_ \- _plus_ extra work for stealth training. It’s _so_ worth it though, for the way he actually gets to see Merlin’s face _flush_ when he reads the note Eggsy’d written for him.

‘ _u know if u just wanted to see me all tied up, u didn’t have to make up n excuse and make me the target. id let u tie me up anytime. bet u’d be way bettr at it than charlie too._ ’

 

* * *

 

There’s a fifth, and a sixth, and a seventh time and more, but they all start to blend together in an awesome blur of innuendo and getting caught and watching Merlin try not to crack as he doles out Eggsy’s punishment, and by the time Harry _finally_ wakes up, he’s lost track of how many times he’s managed to steal Merlin’s clipboard and leave him notes. Yanking it straight out of the trainer’s hands right there in front of Harry is just icing on the cake of the older man’s recovery. Watching _Harry_ yank the clipboard out of Merlin’s hands… well fuck if that just doesn’t make his _year_.

Knowing that Harry will have seen the message he left Merlin before the Scot grabbed it back from Eggsy.. well _that_ makes his fucking _century_.

When Merlin finally dismisses him so he can talk alone with Harry, Eggsy’s pretty damn sure he isn’t imagining the wink Harry gives him as he walks out.


	2. Chapter 2

He knows the moment the door closes behind Eggsy that he’s fucked, because Harry is giving him that _oh so innocent look_ that the man’s perfected over the past several decades. The one that means Harry has gotten an _idea_ in his head, and when it comes to his _ideas_ , Harry is like a dog with a bone; getting him to let go is one of the biggest pains in the arse Merlin has ever had to deal with.

There’s a single word, from Merlin, a firm, resolute “ _No_ ,” and Harry just cocks his head and blinks at him, and asks;

“‘No?’”

Inwardly Merlin swears up a storm. Outwardly he barely suppresses a groan, pulling his clipboard closer to his chest so he can reach down and quickly dismiss the notepad Eggsy’d left open. The one he hopes to god Harry didn’t have time to read before Merlin grabbed the clipboard back. The one he knows damn well Harry had _plenty_ of time to read.

‘ _so u n harry huh? bet u 2 make a fuckin awesome team. u can double team me if u want. id give u a run 4 ur money and u know it_ ’

“He’s a _recruit_ ,” Merlin says firmly, and Harry agrees placidly, answers yes, he is. For now. He reminds Merlin that Eggsy won’t _always_ be a recruit, and that once he’s Lancelot-

Merlin cuts him off with a kiss, because it’s the only damn way to shut the man up. He then proceeds to _thoroughly_ distract his lover as best he can, given that Harry isn’t anywhere near being cleared for activity yet, not so soon after awakening, and that’s that.

Or so he thinks.

He should be used to how much Harry loves to prove him wrong after this long, because as Merlin moves to open the door of Harry’s room, the knight says casually;

“Once he’s Lancelot, I believe ‘double teaming’ Eggsy would be an _excellent_ training exercise.”

Merlin absolutely refuses to acknowledge the way his blood rushes south at the thought as he walks out the door and shuts it behind him without a word. He refuses to give Harry the _satisfaction_.

 

* * *

 

The next time his clipboard disappears he rolls his eyes, but doesn’t think anything of it, because it’s not like he expects the boy to stop his little game simply because Harry’s woken up. If anything, he suspects Eggsy might try to _up_ his game in some misguided effort to impress his mentor.

What he doesn’t expect- what he _should have expected_ \- is that when he retrieves it, the message- _messages_ \- that have been left for him are signed.

‘ _u know if u don’t wanna double team me with harry, there’s another option._

 _-e_ ’

‘ _Merlin, I am appalled that you haven’t taught the recruits how to use proper capitalization and punctuation in messages they send to their handler._

_Eggsy is quite right however. There is always another option._

_-H_ ’

That’s when he realizes that he doesn’t have the luxury of waiting until when and if Eggsy’s knighted to worry about he and Harry teaming up; the nightmare has already begun.

 

* * *

 

It gets worse after that. His clipboard begins disappearing every other day, and every time he retrieves it, there’s two messages on it; one from Eggsy, crude, full of innuendo, and written in his typical ‘text’ speak; one from Harry, just as full of innuendo, only vaguely more veiled, and often starting with a reprimand to Merlin for not ‘teaching his recruits better typing.’ The only saving grace is that, other than Roxy and her knowing looks, the other recruits are completely unaware of the thefts, or the reasoning behind Eggsy’s excess reprimands.

It gets more difficult to determine who’s actually stealing the clipboard as well, which is just another headache on top of the whole affair. The third time it happens after Harry’s awakening, he issues a reprimand to Eggsy for stealing it, only for the lad to answer smugly that _he_ wasn’t the one to take it. It takes all Merlin’s willpower not to swear out loud at the information. The reprimand and punishment stays, as he points out that Eggsy had it in his possession and failed to return it.

That night, Harry regrets stealing it. Merlin makes sure of it.

It doesn’t stop him from doing it again, of course, and the message that accompanies the next theft assures him of that.

‘ _heard im not the only 1 ur punishing. tho it sounds like harrys was way mor fun thn mine. ur kinky, guv. i liek it_

 _-e_ ’

‘ _If you thought our ‘session’ last night would deter me, my dear, I’m rather disappointed. You should know better. You’ve merely given me incentive to do better when I ‘assist’ Eggsy. Perhaps I’ll even share with Eggsy exactly how ‘kinky’ we can be._

 _-H_ ’

Merlin is _so_ fucked.

 

* * *

 

By the time Harry’s been cleared for strenuous activity, Merlin’s clipboard is disappearing on a daily basis. He’s all but given up on issuing individual punishments to Eggsy, as the boy only grins and winks cheekily every time; he assigns weekly punishments instead, one chore or another paired with extra training on anything he catches Eggsy on during the theft. Merlin’s well aware of the kind of ‘attention’ the extra punishments are garnering for the lad, given that the other recruits know nothing of _why_ he’s being punished, but he also knows Eggsy can handle it. Nevermind that he brought it on himself.

Harry’s punishments are another matter. Harry’s punishments are entirely private affairs and take place in the comfort of their own quarters where Merlin is sure they’re not being recorded, whether at their suite in the manor, or in their home.

If Harry’s punishments also help assuage Merlin’s particularly frustrated sexual drive, it’s merely coincidental.

If Harry also, occasionally, receives orders for remedial training in several skills that could be needed on a mission, well. Merlin is simply being thorough.

None of it deters either of them. In fact, their messages only become bolder for it.

Then. Slowly. Slow enough that Merlin doesn’t _quite_ notice it. The tone of the messages begin to shift.

They’re still laden with innuendo, of course, and the sexual tension between the three of them is thick enough to cut with a knife, but…

He realizes it abruptly, when he receives the message;

‘ _harry didn’t hav 2 tell me y u keep waitin, u know. i get it. dont mean im gonna stop. im havin 2 much fun._

_besides, waitin’ just means i get 2 keep windin u up. bet by the time im lancelot n i get 2 hav u, ur gonna be redy 2 explode_

_-e_ ’

‘ _As usual, Eggsy is right. I am rather looking forward to that day myself. It is certain to be a blast._

 _-H_ ’

 

* * *

 

The day of the dog test, everything changes.

 

* * *

 

The next time his clipboard is stolen, it’s taken straight from his hands. It’s set aside, gently, and then Eggsy is in front of him, crouching, green eyes steady as they meet his own.

There’s no message or note this time. There’s only the comfort taken and given between two men who understand exactly how much their world has changed within such a short span of time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >.>
> 
> BRB, running away now.
> 
> If it helps? I'll make it better? I promise!


	3. Chapter 3

The world goes to shit while Kingsman tries to recuperate. They’re down their king, four knights- two of whom were found headless upon their return to HQ- and dozens others from every single department they have. Merlin has to take over the responsibilities of Arthur in the aftermath, in addition to his own responsibilities; his first act as acting Arthur is to knight Eggsy, dog test or no.

When Eggsy asks what his codename will be, another knight suggests ‘Galahad.’ The vehement, almost violent, “ _no_ ” comes from Eggsy and Merlin both. They’re in unison, pain, loss, anguish echoing in their voices, in the look they share before Eggsy’s eyes slide closed slowly. It’s Eggsy who repeats, softly, “No.”

He takes the codename of Lamorak, the name of the second knight who fell to the violence of V-Day, and the Kingsman continue on. Merlin sends knight after knight on missions around the world, trying to stabilize a world decimated by death and destruction. His two newest knights are no exception, Merlin unable to spare them the exhaustion of mission after mission when Kingsman is as crippled as it has become. It becomes almost rare for Merlin to see Eggsy with his own eyes, rather than through the lad’s glasses feed when he looks in a mirror. It should make it hard for them, at such a distance, but it doesn’t.

V-Day has bonded Merlin to Lancelot and Lamorak in a way that he hasn’t bonded to any other knight in the whole of his time with Kingsman, save one. And losing _Harry_ … It bonds Merlin and _Eggsy_ even closer.

The days of his clipboard disappearing are over, but the days of receiving messages from the young knight continue. It’s not unusual for Eggsy to end an evening with Merlin’s voice in his ear before he finally falls asleep after a grueling day. It’s not unusual for Merlin to receive a message from Eggsy long after that, the lad pre-recording it and setting it to be sent in the wee hours of the morning because he knows exactly how prone the wizard is to working through the night.

Merlin treasures these messages in a way he hadn’t the others. They’re still laden with innuendo, of course, because it’s _Eggsy_ sending them, but there’s something softer in them, more personal. It’s something that had begun to sneak into the notes before, little by little, but there hadn’t been time for it to come to fruition. Now, however...

‘ _u know im a spy right? i know u ain’t in bed yet cuz i got my sources and i got my eye on u. if u ain’t in bed n a hour, were gonna have words when i get up, u get me?_

_and they ain’t gonna be the fun type were i get 2 rile u up with dirty talk till u cant take it no more n all u can think about is how ur gonna drag me to bed hwen i get back_

_don’t make me skip that part or we’ll BOTH regret it_ ’

He snorts when he finds that one, shakes his head and rolls his eyes. The boy is just worried, he knows, and it’s both a balm and a kind of ache on its own. No one else has worried over him like that for a very long time. No one except Harry.

“Even from beyond the grave, ye’ve managed to get his help to double team me,” the tech wizard huffs to himself as he dismisses the message to keep working instead. Eggsy won’t be back for two more days. Merlin has plenty of time to rest tomorrow night before the lad returns.

 

* * *

 

So it goes, month after month. Merlin handling his own role plus that of Arthur. Eggsy going on mission after mission as Lamorak. Merlin whispering in Eggsy’s ear when he’s away, and Eggsy leaving messages for him.

It’s four months after V-day that Lamorak is almost lost on a mission gone wrong. They’re not sure how it happens, but Eggsy’s cover is compromised and he’s captured by the drug cartel he’d been sent to infiltrate. Bors and Gawain are dispatched with an extraction team after Eggsy’s glasses feed goes dark.

They bring Eggsy home covered in bruises, with two fractured ribs and a concussion. It’s seeing the bandaging at his left temple, covering a nasty head wound, that almost shatters Merlin into a thousand pieces.

He doesn’t shatter. He sends Bors back to deal with the cartel, and Lancelot insists on going as well. Merlin watches with cold fury as they decimate every last member of the cartel, as the building itself goes up in flames when they’re finished, destroying every last trace of the men who’d hurt his Lamorak. Then he goes to the medical bay and refuses to leave Eggsy’s side.

 

* * *

 

There’s no question of where Eggsy goes once he’s finally cleared to be released from medical. He can’t go home, Michelle isn’t equipped to take care of him while he heals. Roxy offers, but they both know she’s gone too often on missions to handle Eggsy’s stubborn restlessness. Frankly, with how many escape attempts he’d made while in medical, Merlin trusts no one but himself to keep the lad in hand.

He takes Eggsy home.

The next few weeks pass in something that’s partly a nightmare as he tries to keep Eggsy in check and prevent him from pushing himself and hindering his healing, but mostly it’s an awakening.

He lost Harry. _They_ lost Harry. And while Eggsy’s notes have continued to be just as lewd as always, neither of them have acted on what lies between them, not between dealing with their loss and dealing with the world. That changes now, because Merlin refuses to lose Eggsy too, not without ever actually truly having him. Not without giving _himself_ to Eggsy, heart, lock, and key.

 

* * *

 

It’s been a month and a half since the disastrous mission when Merlin’s clipboard disappears for the first time since before V-Day. Given that Eggsy’s been crawling up the walls while he heals, Merlin assumes he’s simply returned to the old, familiar pastime to distract himself now that he’s been granted clearance to return to HQ. He rolls his eyes and goes on with his day. It’ll reappear eventually, and he has work to do.

It’s evening and he’s returned home, and the clipboard is laying on the dining room table, Eggsy nowhere to be seen. Merlin picks it up, pulls up the notepad thoughtlessly. Seconds later it’s dropped back to the polished wood with a loud clatter, because there, in stark black and white, shines an impossible message.

‘ _It seems you’ve started without me, my dear. Good. You were far too slow to bring the boy home. You both deserved better than to flounder without each other for so long._

_Come upstairs. We’ll be in the bedroom waiting for you._

_-H_ ’

 

* * *

 

Merlin takes the steps three at a time, moving faster than he would have ever thought himself capable. He tears down the hall, tears open the bedroom door, and his heart stops.

Eggsy is curled on the bed, his cheeks tear streaked and wet still, and holding him...

Holding him is Harry fucking Hart.

Harry lays a gentle kiss on Eggsy's temple and looks up to meet Merlin's eyes. One hand is extended in offering, and between one breath and the next, Merlin is at the bedside. His own hand shakes, badly, as he reaches to take Harry's, and he's terrified that he’ll find naught but empty air there, terrified that this is a dream, that it’s not real. But Harry’s hand is warm and soft when their fingers meet.

It takes a moment to realize the sob he hears is his own, and then he’s pulled down onto the bed. Harry wraps him up in his arms, he holds Merlin and Eggsy both, and he whispers softly that he has no intention of ever letting go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See. I promised to make it better, and I did! After, you know. Throwing a few more feels into it. >.>
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed this, because I really enjoyed writing it. ♥

**Author's Note:**

> If you're on tumblr, you can find me at [MakethWoman](http://makethwoman.tumblr.com)!
> 
> Also, as a note! [Aggressivelybisexualeggsy](http://aggressivelybisexualeggsy.tumblr.com/) wrote a _beautiful_ fic also, which can be found [here](http://aggressivelybisexualeggsy.tumblr.com/tagged/headcanon).


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